The content on this page relates to the work of the Committee until the Dissolution of Parliament on 12 April 2010.

The Business, Innovation and Skills Select Committee has a new-look homepage which will provide the latest information about the work and membership of the Committee once it has been established in the new Parliament.

Business, Innovation and Skills Committee

The Business, Innovation and Skills Committee is appointed by the House of Commons to examine the administration, expenditure and policy of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and its associated public bodies, including Ofcom and the Office of Fair Trading (OFT).

On 5 June 2009 the Prime Minister announced that the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform and the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills would become the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. On the 25 June 2009 the House of Commons Standing Orders governing the committee structure were amended to allow the Committee to be renamed in order to reflect this change.

The Committee was renamed on 1 October 2009 with the same membership as the previous Business and Enterprise Committee which was formed on 6 November 2007 and replaced the Trade and Industry Committee. The remit of the Committee reflects the responsibilities of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and includes issues such as the Government's relationship with Royal Mail, competition policy, higher and further education, business competitiveness and trade promotion.